Flying Luttenbachers and Weasel Walter

The Flying Luttenbachers were formed in late 1990 in Chicago by jazz saxophonist Hal Russell and especially drummer Weasel Walter (the only permanent member in later years), who was meanwhile composing the suite The Final Solution (1992), released only on cassette.

After two EPs, 546 Seconds Of Noise (UgExplode, 1992), featuring the explosive spasms of Attack Sequence and Life Of Grime, and 1389 Seconds Of Noise (UgExplode, 1993), in 1994 a quintet including Walter, Chad Organ (saxophone), Ken Vandermark (saxophone and clarinet), Jeb Bishop (bass and trombone) and Dylan Posa (guitar), released the album Constructive Deconstruction (Explode, 1994 - 1996), which contains the comic The Critic Stomp, First Through Glass, and some free-jazz lucubrations (Eaten By Sharks, Coffehouse In Flames).

Destroy All Music (Explode, 1995), with Vandermark only part-time, violence and frenzy perhaps borrowed from John Zorn detonate Demonic Velocities, Splurge, Dance Of The Lonely Hyenas, while The Necessary Impossibility of Determinism and Turbo Scratcher retain the neurotic funk-jazz-rock spasms of the Contortions and the Pop Group.

Walter drafted new collaborators Chuck Falzone (guitar) and Bill Pisarri (bass, violin and clarinet) for Revenge (Skin Graft, 1996) Weasel Walter (drums and saxophone) make up the new lineup. The sound abandons the jazz overtones of their early work in favor of a more experimental and miniaturistic approach, in the vein of God Is My Co-pilot's punk-jazz. Manifesto of the new course is Storm Of Shit, whose jackhammers sit at the border between Neu, Chrome, Mars, DNA, free-jazz, grindcore, and industrial music. The coarse pandemoniums of this album are ideological offsprings of the unprecedented violence of the punk generation, but they also well represent the exasperated neurosis and crisis of affabulation of Generation X. Clank restarts precisely from the transvolving rhythms of Neu and the stunting distortions of Chrome, while Mercury Retrograde harks back to the nervous micro-symphonies of Mars and DNA. Spasms and Death Ray are sketches of the absurd that descend from Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica (percussive chords, spastic beats, catastrophic polyphony). At the height of paroxysm, Murdermachinemuzak explodes like a hardcore torpedo and Holy Mountain disintegrates in a chaos of percussive noise. The most musical track is Thoughts For Americans, which sounds like a voodoo-surf dance attacked by rodents. An apocalyptic atmosphere hovers over all the tracks.

Gods Of Chaos (Skin Graft, 1998) is an apocalyptic work that confirms their status as the most lucid heirs of Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu and Contortions. The Pointed Stick Variations is a punk wall of noise, a concentrate of extremely violent dissonance, followed by some street dancing and then by another frenzied jam. The free-jazz bacchanal Stream Of Needles floats over a river of percussive sounds with The Floatation Method is a slab of deranged garage-rock. Alien Autopsy is a skit of dadaistic industrial music for madhouses. The Sun Is Bleeding is the most chaotic improvisation, the culmination of eight years of experiments, a dense and poisonous stew of Pisarri's ear-piercing clarinet farting and honking, Walter's catastrophic drumming and Falzone's saw-like atonal guitar bleating. Cryptosporidium bridges Captain Beefheart's subhuman blues-rock and grindcore. Disaster has rarely been so lyrical.

The Truth Is A Fucking Lie (Skin Graft, 1999) is virtually free-jazz chamber music for cello, trumpet, clarinet, violin and drums. The futuristic jamming of The Truth Is A Fucking Lie and the noise symphony Black Perversion rank among their masterpieces.

The five jams of Alptraum (Ugexplode, 2000) and the eleven untitled jams of the limited-edition double album Trauma (Ugexplode, 2001), recorded in february 2000, feature Weasel Walter on drums, Kurt Johnson on standup bass and Michael Colligan on drums. The music is more closely related to the free jazz of Albert Ayler than to prog-rock.

Flying Luttenbachers' Infection And Decline (Troubleman Unlimited, 2002) introduces the new trio (drummer Weasel Walter and two bassists, Jonathan Hischke and Alex Perkolup) through five prog-rock suites and one long Magma cover.

Systems Emerge From Complete Disorder (Trouble Man Unlimited, 2003) is a solo Weasel Walter album. He plays drums, bass, piano, guitar and electronics, and dispenses (for the most part) with the horns that were the project's jazz credentials. Nonetheless, the 20-minute brutal epics Rise Of The Iridescent Behemoth ranks as his most free-jazz "jam" (admittedly, a one-man jam) yet. The eccentric, acrobatic, breakneck stylistic convulsions of Thrumm'd HTE for M and Thorned Lattice, and of the three-movement Kkringg Suite, concoct a unique synthesis of Edgar Varese, Harry Partch, Frank Zappa, the Contortions and John Zorn. Occasionally, the latter also sound like excerpts from an instrumental version of Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica

The frantic noise-core of Eruption (Grob, 2003) was a collaboration with guitarist Kevin Drumm and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.

The Flying Luttenbachers on Void (Troubleman Limited, 2005) was a traditional guitar-bass-drums trio, and played guitar-driven power-rock. Whoever they were trying to emulate, the joke did not work too well.

The restless guitars of Ed Rodriguez (Gorge Trio, Colossamite, Iceburn) and Mick Barr (Orthrelm) lend Cataclysm (ugExplode, 2006) a hysterical and punkish feeling. It is one of the most violent albums of Weasel Walter's career.

Incarceration by Abstraction (2007) is credited to the Flying Luttenbachers but it is de facto a solo by Weasel Walter who plays all instruments.

Opulence (2008) documents a live collaboration between Weasel Walter and guitarist Mary Halvorson.

Weasel Walter's Apocalyptik Paranoia (july 2008) documents performances with Henry Kaiser on acoustic and electric guitars, Peter Evans, Greg Kelley and Forbes Graham on trumpets, and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello.

Weasel Walter's Invasion (january 2009 - UgExplode, 2010) featured a septet with with Henry Kaiser (guitar), Vinny Golia (reeds), Damon Smith (bass), Liz Allbee (trumpet), John Lindberg (bass), William Winant (drums). The 33-minute Nautilus Rising feels anemic in that the "music" is limited to disjointed free-form phrases. Trumpet and saxophone are nervous about starting a dialogue. The rest feels the awkward psychology and refrains from playing forcefully. The guitar eventually breaks the ice with a lengthy distorted solo, and then everybody launches into a chaotic jam. The second half is much more lively. Again, it's the guitar that shines, thanks to Kaiser's passion for "sawing" timbres. The horns, instead, continue to disappoint with their vague and undecided moves. By comparison, the shorter Flesh Strata presents a much more effective (even incendiary) case of sax-driven interplay, with both the sax and the guitar engaging in noisy emissions at lightning speed. The 22-minute Invasion opens with an even louder and faster solo of dissonant guitar and then stays the course for a while, blending the agonizing noise of the guitar with the hysterical acrobatics of the saxophone at the rhythm of a thousand drums. This time the interplay achieves a scary intensity, reminiscent of action movie soundtracks. The contribution here is truly collective, and eventually achieves a sort of propulsive quality thanks to synchronized droning by the horns.

Weasel Walter's prolific career expanded in all directions. Electric Fruit (2011) was a noisy collaboration with guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpetist Peter Evans, followed by Mechanical Malfunction (Thirsty Ear, 2012). Ominous Telepathic Mayhem (Ugexplode, 2011) collects pieces recorded in various sessions between september 2008 and july 2011 by a quintet with Peter Evans (trumpet), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Darius Jones (alto sax) and Alex Ward (guitar and clarinet).

Weasel Walter, bassist Damon Smith (also on computer laptop and field recordings) and guitarist Sandy Ewen recorded Untitled (november 2011 - ugEXPLODE, 2012).

Weasel Walter became a prolific jazz improviser.

Improvisations (Bug Incision, 2013) documents a 2007 collaboration of drummer Weasel Walter with pianist Charity Chan and bassist Damon Smith.

Weasel Walter joined Behold the Arctopus, the trio formed by Colin Marston and Mike Lerner.

Walter's Unplanned Obsolescence (2012) contains three lengthy improvisations with sax & synth player Chris Pitsiokos.

Weasel Walter's Firestorm (february 2007) documents three different projects with Damon Smith (acoustic bass), Elliott Levin (tenor sax), Marshall Allen and Marco Eneidi (alto sax), Mario Rechtern (alto, sopranino & zurna saxes) Lisle Ellis (bass) and Marc Edwards (drums). Blood Of The Earth (november 2009) was a collaboration with fellow drummer Marc Edwards, Darius Jones (alto sax), Elliott Levin (tenor sax and flute), Adam Lane (bass) and Forbes Graham (trumpet). Ewin-Smith-Walter (2013) features a trio with Sandy Ewen on guitar and Damon Smith on 7-string electric upright bass & laptop.

The Weasel Walter Quartet (alternating John Gruntfest and Aram Shelton on alto saxes, Josh Allen on tenor sax, Damon Smith on contrabass, Randy Hunt on bass and Henry Kaiser on guitar) recorded Revolt Music (ugExplode, 2013) between december 2005 and october 2006.

The live Cryptocrystalline (january 2013) documents a quartet with Charity Chan on piano, Peter Evans on trumpets, Tom Blancarte on bass and Weasel Walter on drums.

A quartet consisting of Weasel Walter (drums), Paul Flaherty (tenor and alto saxes), Steve Swell (trombone) and Spencer Yeh (violin and voice) recorded the improvisations of Dragonfly Breath (may 2011).

Weasel Walter, Kevin Shea (drums, percussion, electronic drums and vocals) and Matt Mottel (synthesizer, electronics, vocals) collaborated on Keep Your Laws Off My Body (2009), later re-released as Polyp (2009 - MNOAD, 2014).

Drawn And Quartered (may 2014 - One Hand, 2015) documents improvisations with alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos.

Walter's improvisational trio Deadly Orgone Radiation, featuring Guapo's James Sedwards on guitar and Alex Ward on guitar & alto sax, released Power Trips (Copepod, 2015).

The solo album Curses (january 2016) featured Walter on several instruments (drums, cymbals, bells, rattles and assorted insect-like Euro-improv sounds) and contains 99 brief pieces to be played "either in sequence or random shuffle order, offering a virtually endless variety of listening experiences".

The Weasel Walter Large Ensemble debuted on Igneity - After The Fall Of Civilization (april 2015): Brandon Lopez and Tim Dahl on double bass, Alan Licht, Henry Kaiser and Chris Welcome on guitars, the quartet sax of Chris Pitsiokos, Jim Sauter, Matt Nelson and Michael Foster, Steve Swell on trombone, Peter Evans on trumpet and Dan Peck on tuba.

A Pound of Flesh (2017) is a four-disc set collection that includes the 43-minute Manticore, the 32-minute The Inevitable, and the 40-minute Half-Death.

Weasel Walter's Idiomatic (september 2017) documents improvisations with Sandy Ewen (guitar).

Poisonous (january 2018) was a collaboration with trumpeter Peter Evans.

Skhiizm (recorded between july 2014 and september 2017) was a solo album performed on vocals, guitar, bass, electronics and drums, notably the 20-minute The Hangover Heart Attack Variations.

Astral Plane Crash (april 2018) documents two lengthy improvisations by Vinny Golia (flute, sopranino, soprano, baritone saxes, saxello, Bb clarinet, piccolo), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Bob Moses and Weasel Walter (both on drums, percussion) and Damon Smith (amplified double bass): the 44-minute Fountain of Dreams and the 35:30-minute Mysterious Journey.

Walter's sprawling solo Curses (january 2016) consists of four parts for a total of 99 tracks.

Peter Evans (trumpet) and Weasel Walter (drums) recorded the improvisations of Poisonous (january 2018).

Walter played percussion and electronics with guitarist Sandy Ewen in the three long improvisations of Idiomatic (september 2017). He then recorded Flayed (march 2019) with Jeb Bishop (trombone, electronics) and Alex Ward (guitar, clarinet).

Shattered Dimension (november 2018), the Flying Luttenbachers' first album in more than a decade, reunited Brandon Seabrook (guitar), Matt Nelson (tenor sax) and Tim Dahl (electric bass). Cripple Walk is cerebral and dissonant and sets the tone for the rest, although Epitaph also exhibits grotesque, Dada and somewhat grandiloquent overtones while Sleaze Factor indulges in viscerally disordered interplay. The 22-minute Mutation begins with eight minutes of a torrential flow of hysterical strumming and drumming, whereas the second half is more conventional mid-tempo prog-rock.

Imminent Death (ugEXPLODE, 2019), documenting the new lineup with Henry Kaiser & Brandon Seabrook on guitars, Matt Nelson on soprano, alto & tenor saxes, Tim Dahl on bass guitar and Weasel Walter on percussion and electric sitar, contains rowdy chaotic jams halfway between space-rock and free-jazz like Praalude (10:22) and Grants Residencies and Trust Funds (11:59) and ends with the gothic The Stomp.

The Paradox Of Tolerance (january 2021) contains three compositions by Weasel Walter titled after their durations (notably the 42:29), accompanied on guitar and "objects" by sound and visual artist Sandy Ewen.

The Flying Luttenbachers' Negative Infinity (november 2020) featured Weasel Walter on drums, Katie Battistoni on guitars, Mat Nelson on tenor sax, Tim Dahl on electric bass and Sam Ospovat on drums, and contains the 19-minute On the Verge of Destruction. Walter drafted the same combo to record the two improvisations of Terror Iridescence (october 2021): Negative Infinity the 21:30-minute Mereydth Herold and the 22-minute Tom Smith.

In The Absence Of Compromise (Imploding Sounds, 2022) contains two live recordings with Dominika Michalowska (vocals, electronics, words) and Michael Foster (soprano sax, electronics), the first (39 minutes) from february 2020 and the second (33 minutes) from may 2019. Weasel Walter's one-hour Enless Punishment (december 2022) documents an improvisation with Rick Eye (guitar and synthesizer) on which he played electroacoustic percussion and synthesizer. Incantation Sublimation (october 2023) collects duets with guitarist Chad Clark.

The Flying Luttenbachers returned with Losing The War Inside Our Heads (march 2024), which contains a reworking of Olivier Messiaen's Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum. Walter played all the instruments, accompanied by the rhythm section of Luke Polipnick (bass) and Charlier Werber (drums).